> can anyone remember a study or topic we have ever discussed here in which Allen, Peter, Randy, Bill, Jerry, and I agree on?

Actually, I think we all pretty much concur that the understanding of honey bee gut microbes is crucial, based on Martha Gilliam's work. Unfortunately, nobody has figured that one out completely yet. However, it seems clear that any number of toxics can negatively affect the microbial balance. 

And that there is a potential for introducing probiotic substances which may enhance bees' ability to digest and assimilate pollen, as well as resist harmful bacteria and viruses. Further, there is a new study which shows that long term feeding of simulated brood pheromones can greatly increase colony performance. 

However, and on this I think Dean would agree with me, I don't believe "performance enhancement" is the route we want to take. Stimulating a colony to perform better is not the same as helping them to be healthier. Stimulation usually is costly, both in terms of inputs and the resultant toll it may have on the health of the organism.

I think we all agree that the focus needs to be on colony health, and vigor. We need to nail down what things are damaging to colony vigor and what promote it, setting aside stimulants that offer short term gains. At the meeting in Beltsville there was some talk of a variety of off the wall things being put into hives to "boost" them. This is short sighted and foolhardy. 

These various products have to be categorized as to whether they provide real benefit or just stimulation; the short as well as long term consequences need to be understood. It is clear that antibiotics are poisonous, albeit they are usually targeted. But it would be rash to assume that so-called probiotics are all benign.

PLB

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